Austin to become third African-American on Long Beach council on July 17

LONG BEACH - Long Beach voters quietly made history earlier this month.

Come July 17, when 8th District City Councilman-elect Al Austin takes the oath of office, he will be the third African-American concurrently on the nine-member panel, after Dee Andrews and Steve Neal.

The number is the most in Long Beach's 115-year history.

"I think it's obvious that those barriers matter less now," said Austin, who will represent parts of Bixby Knolls and North Long Beach.

"It goes without saying that Long Beach is diverse," added Austin.

"We reached out to Cambodian voters, Filipinos, Latinos, everybody was basically involved. We pulled together an amazing coalition."

City leaders embrace Long Beach's diversity, frequently pointing out its status as the most multiethnic city in the United States, according to USA Today.

The 2010 U.S. Census found that 40.8 percent of the city's population identified as Hispanic or Latino, 33.1 percent as white,

14.5 percent African-American, 11.9 percent Asian and 1.2 percent Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander. American Indians and Alaska natives were 0.4 percent of the population, 0.2 were other and 2.9 percent claimed two or more races.

Doris Topsy-Elvord, the council's first female African-American member, has lived in Long Beach since 1942.

"It was never a city where race was an issue to me," said Topsy-Elvord, 80.

"The same friends I had at St. Anthony," she said, referring to her Catholic school, "I still have them."

Neal, the 9th District councilman, said Austin's election - combined with the little-noted issue of race - signifies how far racial relations have come.

"I think one of the other things it indicates is a change in demographics for the city itself," Neal said.

Census data agree.

In the 8th District, the largest ethnic group was Hispanics, at 43.8 percent. Whites were 17.7 percent of the population and 13.6 percent were Asian.

The proportion of African-Americans in the 8th District - 19.7 percent - narrowly edged out Neal's North Long Beach district, which had

18.6 percent, for the first time.

"There's no barriers now," said Andrews, the 6th District representative. "Everyone has the opportunity to move where your money will take you."

For Austin though, it comes down to red-meat city issues of public safety and infrastructure.

"I'm really just honored that the voters of the 8th District were open-minded and gave me a chance," he said.